by Alma Boykin
She pulled on her robe and a carry harness, grabbed her kit, and charged off, the guard in hot pursuit. “What kind of emergency?”
“Lord Tarkeela’s bodyman says his lord is having some kind of seizure and that it has never happened before,” the guard panted. Neela accelerated into a full-speed gallop, skittering through the night-dark halls and leaving the guard behind in her haste. She ran through a mental list of all the possible seizure causes as she skidded to a halt in front of an open door in the guest wing.
“In here, Healer,” Korlee called.
She trotted in, took a quick look around and snapped, “Everyone but Korlee, you, and you,” she pointed to a Palace servant and Tarkeela’s servitor, “out. You’re taking up space. Korlee, tell me what happened in full detail.” She took off her pack and laid one forefoot on Tarkeela’s foreleg pit, feeling for his pulse. The grey-brown male twitched spasmodically and his breathing sounded harsh. Even worse, Neela smelled a sour undertone on Tarkeela’s breath. A second medic trotted in as she began her diagnoses. “Soree?”
“I’m here. Have you gotten a history?”
“Not yet.”
The two medics looked to Korlee. He explained, “He seemed fine a few hours ago. He had the evening meal here in his quarters, washed, and went to the sleeping platform. Half an hour ago he started having trouble breathing, then had a seizure. He’s never had a heart problem or a seizure as best I know.”
“I’m starting a nitro drip,” Soree advised, pulling the bag, needle, and tubing out of his bag. “You,” he pointed to the Tarkeela servant, “hold this up like so.”
As the medic tried to start the heart medication, Tarkeela began retching and choking, then seized again. Neela wiped a bit of blue-black foam from the male’s jaw and sniffed it. “Soree?”
He sniffed the proffered bit of towel. “That’s black tongue. But black tongue does not cause seizures.”
Neela concentrated on keeping Tarkeela’s airway clear. “Korlee, what did you and Tarkeela eat?”
“I had some tea, Healer. He ate some shootee on Kurstem noodles in a spicy sauce. Yes, he commented that it had more bite and heat than he’d expected and asked the servant if she knew what the spice was. The female didn’t know but said that she would ask.”
Soree turned to Tarkeela’s servant. “What did you have?”
“Just some tea, sir. Air travel does not agree with me.”
“Neela, stop his seizures while I get the pacer ready,” Soree ordered.
She hopped across the twitching noble and rested both hands on his backbone, reaching with her mind for the misfiring neurons. Every time she got them calmed down, something sent them crazy again. All right, first I have to stop that, she decided. Neela reached back to her harness and triggered a small voice recorder, dictating her actions. “Patient an adult male with seizures. Seizure trigger appears to be chemical and interferes with Healing, so am attempting to deal with the cause. Am looking into bloodstream,” and she closed her eyes as she shifted into Healer sight. “The agent looks like black beads on a string. It seems to be interfering with nervous system conduction. Am attempting to create a barrier between the chemical and his spinal column, but the chemical has spread too far, affecting too many nerves.”
“Disengage, Healer, I need to pace him,” Soree ordered.
Neela lifted her forefeet and shifted clear as Soree stuck two pads onto Tarkeela’s flank. “Clear!” he ordered, then triggered the series of electric charges. As he did, Tarkeela seized again, heaving up a wad of black and reddish-brown material, then inhaling. “Please don’t do that, my lord,” Soree hissed under his breath, forced to stop the pacing before Tarkeela’s heart settled down as Neela tried to clear the airway. Before she could finish, Tarkeela’s body heaved once more, then stopped moving. The cardiac monitor projected a flatline, as did the nervous system monitor. The two medics exchanged gestures and Soree removed the pacer pads. “You can set that down,” he told Tarkeela’s servant.
“I’m sorry Korlee,” Neela told the stunned guard.
“What is going on?” Seetoh demanded. The medics looked around to find the King-Emperor, four nobles, and two more guards crowded in and around the door.
“Lord Tarkeela is dead. He suffered from cardiac arrhythmia and seizures, Imperial Majesty. We were unable to stabilize him and he aspirated before going into cardiac arrest.” Soree dipped his head in a bow before adding, “The attacks seem to have been brought on by a chemical reaction, Imperial Majesty, and I strongly recommend that a full autopsy and lab workup begin immediately.”
As he spoke, Neela very carefully sealed samples of the saliva and the final bolus of stomach contents into sterile containers. She shut her mind to everything else, focusing on the task in her forefeet. She heard Master Lorkiss in her mind’s ear, reminding her to preserve every sample. “If there is any hint of a question, save everything.” She set the samples to one side and reached for her personal kit.
“No!” her tail lashed out, slapping away the Palace servant who’d been reaching for the bags. “Do not touch those.”
“I’m just taking them to the infirmary,” the female whined, reaching for the items again.
A large forefoot grabbed the servant’s carry harness and all but lifted her off her feet. “No you are not,” Korlee rumbled. As he hauled her away, a packet of herbs fell from her harness. Neela grabbed them and added them to the medical specimens.
“No one will speak of this until I give leave,” the King-Emperor warned everyone in the room. “You,” he pointed to a guard, “find Lord Deek and have him begin interviewing everyone who has been with Tarkeela or entered his chamber since his arrival. You, take custody of her and do not let her out of your sight. And you,” he indicated a third reptile, “go with the medics and Tarkeela’s body to the morgue. No one but medical personnel are to have any contact with them, is that clear?”
“Yes, Imperial Majesty,” the guards replied.
“I will wait for Lord Deek here.” Seetoh watched as his men loaded Tarkeela’s body onto a gurney, then let them depart with the medics. The servant that Korlee had grabbed cowered in the corner, practically soiling herself with fear, while Korlee stayed on the other side of the room and swayed back and forth in his grief and anger.
After she made her report, turned the samples over to the pathologist, and uploaded her dictation into the master computer and medical section backup, Neela sought out the Palace temple. Her guard waited at the door as she entered. The female threw herself on the floor and wailed, then fell silent, shaking, forefeet over eyes, before wailing and moaning her grief again. Tarkeela was dead! She’d done everything but he still died, leaving a hole in the world that no one could fill. Now who would help protect her, who would defend the out-Clan? All the grief she’d hidden after her dam’s death and her own abandonment broke past the barriers Neela had made in her heart and she cried her sorrow and pain to the universe.
Perhaps half an hour later, anger began replacing grief. Someone had killed Lord Tarkeela, someone had poisoned him and she knew it. It had to be in his food. And only one person wanted Tarkeela dead. But before she spoke the name, Neela’s healer’s mind snapped into action. Only one person that you know of wanted Tarkeela dead, she reminded herself. Tarkeela might have had many other enemies, probably did have in matter of fact. She knew that Neetai had been a popular courtesan before settling down with Tarkeela, so Neela could not rule out a crime of possession. The dark brown female forced herself to set her suspicions and rage aside. Later she would act, but for now she needed to watch herself very carefully.
Tarkeela’s heart stopped at four hours before midnight. The pathologist announced his report to the King-Emperor at the sixth hour after midnight. “Poison, Imperial Majesty. Two kinds of poison were present, in fact, one that affected his nervous system and a second toxin that caused his heart problem. The combination led to his vomiting up the material and then aspirating it, choking him.”
&n
bsp; “What kinds of poison?”
“Black tongue caused the heart irregularity, Imperial Majesty—it interferes with calcium processing. The other one I have not yet identified. It comes from off-planet apparently. It bound to the neurotransmitters, as Healer Neela described in her dictation, and caused the seizures. That alone would have killed Tarkeela, Imperial Majesty. The black tongue accelerated the process.”
Lord Deek made an interested noise and waved his tail, catching Seetoh’s eye. “Yes?”
“Imperial Majesty, the servant who put the poisons on Lord Tarkeela’s food says that she was told they would only make him sick, not kill him.”
“Did she say who gave them to her? Only yes or no,” Seetoh cautioned.
Deek gestured his understanding. “Yes, she told us who provided the material, Imperial Majesty.”
Seetoh rose from his bench. “Call the Royal Council and the other nobles present to meet at noon in the Great Throne Room. Deek, you and Neela need to attend, as will Prince Tahdak and Tsarli. Remind everyone that blasters and shields are forbidden and that I will take personal action if there is an infraction.” Eight new, deep grooves in the forefoot rests revealed the King-Emperor’s real feelings.
Captain Lord Deek knew better than to protest when Seetoh was this angry. “Yes, Imperial Majesty,” and he bowed very low—more blood would spill before the sun set.
Kirlin concentrated on his talons, striving to remain calm and reasonable enough to keep from tearing them off trying to rip apart the tile floor of the Great Throne Room. Everyone knew that Tarkeela had died. But no one would say anything more, leaving Kirlin, Peitak, and several others increasingly worried and angry. No one dared even speculate, although Kirlin had a few suppositions as to the cause of Tarkeela’s sudden passing. “Has anyone told his Clan?” he inquired of Peitak.
The smaller green striped reptile swirled his forefoot. “Not until his Imperial Majesty gives his permission. He even ordered all out-going communications blocked.”
Kirlin glanced over to where Lord Shu stood. The other male acted irritated about something and carried a data projector clipped to his carry harness, along with a sword and dagger like everyone else. Peitak noticed Kirlin’s diverted attention and made a very quiet, “thssssth,” with the tip of his tongue. Despite himself Kirlin grinned a little in agreement. Motion on the dais caught his attention and he looked up as Captain Lord Deek and Healer Neela, along with four guards and two females in grey-and-brown robes, arranged themselves along the back of the platform. Prince Tsarli and Crown Prince Tahdak appeared not long after, and Kirlin wondered where the king was.
“Whump!” The doors at the rear of the chamber slammed shut and the nobles turned as one to find King-Emperor Seetoh standing in full armor and weapons. They parted and genuflected as he stalked toward the dais on his hind legs, towering over the other reptiles. By the Lone God’s talons, he’s huge, Kirlin realized. He sensed barely controlled fury radiating from the monarch, and Kirlin fought the urge to ease backwards, out of Seetoh’s line of sight.
The display failed to impress Lord Shu. He just wanted to reclaim his property and depart, leaving the others to rot. He’d dealt with Tarkeela, and Shu masked a smile as he imagined the reptile’s final agonies. He probably could have confined himself to using only the powdered Sidaran fire juice, but he’d needed to be certain that Tarkeela died. Without Tarkeela, Kirlin could not stop Shu’s projects. He’d contemplated dosing Kirlin as well, but decided that it would be better just to kill Kirlin in public at a later date. Then no one could argue with Clan Shu claiming at least part of Sunblast along with TeerClaw and Tarkeela’s other industries.
Seetoh’s voice pulled Shu out of his musings. “Councilors, members of Clan Shu have petitioned the Throne for redress. Because of the nature of their request, We have ordered Lords Beesh, Beerkali, Tarkeela, Kirlin, and Shu to attend as well. As you are no doubt aware, Lord Tarkeela died last night. The Council will address the petition from Clan Shu, then consider if any steps are necessary following a study of Tarkeela’s death plan.”
Kirlin, Beesh, and Beerkali moved to stand on Seetoh’s strong side, facing him, while Shu took the weak side and the Council members formed a loose half-circle behind them. Neela, Lord Deek, and the two Shu females walked almost to the edge of the dais on Shu’s side. Kirlin and several others murmured as Deek set a small device on the floor in front of the females. The air took on a familiar shimmer as the shield generator turned on.
Prince Tsarli studied the gathered Council before beginning. “My lords of Council, Imperial Majesty, three members of Clan Shu petition the Throne for redress of grievances and injuries inflicted by Shu-Kahrai, Head of Clan Shu. The petitioners claim that they suffered physical and mental abuse commanded by and inflicted by Shu-Kahrai. Unable to find succor from their Clan and lineage, the petitioners fled to the Palace and claimed protection by pack-right.” Several of the nobles shifted uneasily as the gravity of the situation dawned. For someone to claim pack-right protection from the Throne meant that they had found no aid from their Clan or from any other Clan. No wonder Blee has been avoiding me, Kirlin snarled. Blee’s farming lands bordered Shu. Pain in his forefeet warned Kirlin to relax before he hurt himself.
Tsarli continued, “Two of the petitioners claim to posses the Healer’s gift. The third, although not gifted in the same sense, is skilled in vital medical arts and requests additional training, a request the Throne consents to. All three claim that their Clan refused to allow them proper training, punished them for requesting the same, and inflicted further punishment when they protested. A fourth potential healer also sought refuge but died in the attempt, along with her not-born junior.” Several sets of neck spines began rising among the Council members and a snarl flashed along Shu’s muzzle.
Tsarli stepped back, allowing Neela and Deek to come forward. Shu’s snarl grew larger when he noticed Neela hiding behind the shield, but he remained silent as Seetoh looked toward the two witnesses. “Healer Neela, what are your findings?”
“Imperial Majesty, great my lords, two of the petitioners indeed carry the Healer’s gift, one in full measure and one to a lesser extent. They are already making rapid progress with controlling their abilities and wish to finish their training, as well as learning more about traditional Azdhagi medical practices, including use of the new botanical medicines. The third petitioner will be a very skilled surgeon or hatch specialist, and will bring great blessings to her patients.”
“Captain Lord Deek?”
The soldier swished his tail. “Imperial Majesty, great lords, all three bear marks consistent with multiple beatings. One also suffered lashes to the head that severely damaged one of her eyes and blows that reduced her hearing on the weak-side.”
Seetoh grunted. “Neela, what reason did the petitioners give for the application of discipline?”
“They claim that Lord Shu forbade them to use their gifts for the benefit of any outside of his immediate lineage, punished them when the refused to comply, and then beat them when the Healer contacted Lord Blee and requested assistance. When the Clan physician requested permission for the surgeon-to-be to leave Clan lands and seek full training, Lord Shu ordered him whipped, and beat and raped the student. They claim that the fourth female, already a trained hatch-specialist, died of complications of a miscarriage following forced sex after she too requested permission to seek additional training.”
Seetoh gestured and the Lord Defender and Healer bowed to the Council, then returned to the rear of the dais. Seetoh turned his attention to the nobles. “Lord Shu, your Clansibs present grave charges against your conduct as Clan Head. What say you?”
Shu dipped a little, then turned to face the Council. “My lords, I petition the Council for the return of Clan property taken without permission or recompense. I also claim damage payment from Clans Tarkeela and Kirlin for encouraging the seizure of Clan property, and I charge Kirlin and Tarkeela with endangering the pack by permitting c
orrupted individuals to breed.”
The audacity of the claims amazed Kirlin and Beesh, and several members of the council as well, judging by the murmurs and hisses that greeted Shu’s words. “These are very serious claims, Lord Shu,” Seetoh observed, not moving a muscle or revealing anything in his voice. “We trust that you have evidence to support your claims.”
“I do, Imperial Majesty.” Shu turned on the data projector. “As you can see, multiple communications between Tarkeela, Kirlin, and the Council, as well as other nobles, show that despite frequent statements from the Throne and by the Royal Council and Council of Nobles, Kirlin permitted a female known to have been corrupted to remain fertile.” The list of rulings about dealing with juniors with deathtouch or bone-crush, or other fatal malformations appeared before the Council.
Shu continued, “Tarkeela assisted with this endeavor. Two and a half years ago, when members of Clan Shu, who were distressed by this disregard for the safety of the pack, attempted to carry out the provisions decreed by the Clan Lords, Tarkeela and the True-dragons killed Shu Clan members without proper hearing or trial.”
When Shu paused to take a breath, Kirlin waved his tail. “Yes, Lord Kirlin?” Seetoh inquired.
“My lords, I and some of my guards killed three of the Shu Clan members,” Kirlin informed the nobles. When Daesarae and Kaeshari gave him strange looks, he explained, “I would not want all blame or credit to fall on our late associate.”
“Your information is noted,” Lord Peitak acknowledged. “Lord Shu, please continue.”
“Thank you,” Shu spat. “The females who raise false grievances are indeed members of Clan Shu. As you well know, one aspect of Project Star-Strong included creating Healers. Since anything associated with that idiocy bears a poisonous taint, I decided that for the good of the Clan, such ‘gifts,’ as some call them, could not be tolerated. Interest in medicine must be encouraged and cultivated, my lords, Imperial Majesty,” and Shu bowed a little toward the throne. “But corrupt powers are intolerable and impermissible. When the females refused to abide by Clan law, the pack took only the necessary disciplinary steps required to maintain the wellbeing and success of the pack. Lord Blee, to his credit, agrees with my decision and informed me of their further attempts to pursue corruption.
